Click to play videoSeventy percent of India is under the age of 35 but the age of our ministers is among the oldest in the world. Two new ministers were recently inducted in the council of ministers - the 34-year-old Minister of State for Steel Jitin Prasada and 37-year-old Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Scindia.
But can the young turks turn their popularity into votes or make themselves heard in Parliament?
The average age of the Indian Cabinet is 59 while the average age of the British cabinet by contrast is 49. The new President elect of Russia Dimitry Medvedev is only 42 while Manmohan Singh at 75 is the second oldest leader in the world.
Even the Opposition party in India has nothing new to offer. While Atal Bihari Vajpayee was 74 when he became the Prime Minister, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the next election L K Advani is 81.
And that brings us to the question of the day that was asked on CNN-IBN show Face the Nation: Do younger MPs make better ministers?
On the panel of experts to debate the issue threadbare were Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajya Sabha MP from the NCP Supriya Sule, Political Editor of DNA Arati Jerath and BJP Vice-President of Delhi Poonam Azad.
Old vs young
Many in India believe that age brings wisdom with it. But with a country that's dominated with a young population, isn't it time that the baton of power be passed to the youth?
Beginning the debate, Scindia said, “Age is not the only factor to determine effectiveness of one’s job. It has to be a combination of age and experience. Agreed that the country has a large young population but we cannot ignore the experienced. I am thankful to Sonia Gandhiji, the PM and Rahulji for giving me this opportunity. But the jury is still out on the age factor. Dipstick polls are not the done thing in this regard.”
Agreeing with Scindia, Sule said, “The Cabinet now is a great combination of new ideas and energy with experience.”
But do young politicians face an uphill task in facing the bureaucracy when compared to seasoned politicians?
“Age really does not matter. What we really need are good ministers, period,” Jerath said and then added, “The effectiveness of a minister depends on his or her talent and skills. If a person is inexperienced then it may take him longer to understand how the Government works and if they are quick on the uptake then learning the ropes don’t take too long. It depends solely on the person.”
But the NDA seems to be losing out in the battle for young politicians. Its prime ministerial candidate will be on the other side of 80 by the time the General Elections come around.
Azad said that a young person in the Cabinet is a good move and this is above the party lines.
“We all welcome this decision. As far as the BJP is concerned we also have a youthful face, which includes Dr Harsh Vardhan and me. Wisdom is an important quality and that comes with experience. So that has to be taken into account. Also, just by inducting young leaders we cannot expect young voters. Rahul Gandhi tried in UP but we all know what happened,” Azad said.
She also went on to explain that most young politicians are representatives of a political family so success comes easy to such MPs.
Disagreeing strongly with Azad’s argument, Scindia retorted, “We are living in the world’s largest democracy and we all come through an electoral process. Even if the bias is accepted then we might get a slight advantage in the first time but then on it’s my rapport with my electorate. My work brings me back to the people’s court and not my pedigree.”
Refuting charges that Indian politics has now become a family business, Scindia added, “There are many examples of dynastic politics in India but there are also many who come from political families but they still did not make a mark. This happens across the board and not only in this country but across the world.”
“It’s your connect with people that counts. At the end of the day we are individuals. We are here not to see whether it’s a Government run by the old or the young. What is required is accountability, transparency and effective implementation,” he said.
Scindia also explained that politics is not a hostage of premier political families.
“If one goes to the dusty streets of rural India then you would see the massive youth leadership that is coming to the fore,” he said.
Age(old) practices
Age is always related to eminence in India. In the council of ministers Sis Ram Ola is 81, Arjun Singh, too, is a senior minister who also happens to be suffering from a number of ailments.
Taking a cue from this statement, Jerath said, “People who are ailing and so are unable to attend office should hang their boots. But today we are in a very peculiar situation in politics. We are in an era of coalition governments where we look for kindly old ministers who look for running the process with compromises. I am talking about the so-called consensual figures. So we are not looking for dynamic and assertive politicians who can win elections on their own steam. So that is where young people are losing out. Maybe there will be a time when a party will be able to win a majority and maybe that party will be led by a charismatic leader.”
So, virtues of the young are not really required in politics. What is really required is a gentle amiable karta dharta-like figure who is a consensus builder. Do such things frustrate young leaders?
Disagreeing with this argument Sule said, “This is especially not true in a state like Maharashtra where Mr Sharad Pawar became chief minister at the young age of 38. In those days most of the NCP ministers were in their early 30s.”
One doesn’t have to be 60 plus to be taken seriously in Indian politics, said Scindia.
“If that were to be the case then we won’t be returning to Parliament. We are looking at this issue just at the superficial top level. I think it would be very pompous and arrogant on my part to say why I have been inducted. But from my point of view I hope to do my very best,” he said.
Many experts feel that the Congress is an elitist party and they haven’t fought their way up in politics.
“The problem is that the Congress doesn’t focus on the general masses,” Azad said.
“When the Congress talks about the youth they only pick them up from certain forums. Jyotiraditya is an exception but the others are not. Rahul Gandhi might have been a crowd-puller in UP but he could not convert his popularity into votes,” she added.
Be the change
Scindia is a former investment banker, is pro-reforms and pro economic changes but in this present Government the reform process is more or less stalled. It is now a Government of sops and handouts, so how easy will it be for ministers like him to get their voices heard?
Walking the tightrope, Scindia said, “We are a coalition Government and we have appended our signature on a Common Minimum Programme. So we need to stick to our promises.”
Young MPs are rarely seen in Parliament coming up with fire and brimstone oratory to prove their points. But Sule too said that the voice of the young is not muted.
“We have spoken on the 123 Agreement and even on the Budget session. I don’t the younger MPs are speaking any less,” Sule said.
Results of the question of the day poll:
Yes - 67 per cent
No - 33 per cent
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